Brave Hearts
by Softball20
Summary: A new threat has Bellamy and Clarke worried for the family and stable community they've created. But with their contrasting twin daughters, Angel and Lily, thrown into the mix, they have a chance at securing safety once again. Definitely going to try to mix some Bellarke into this story along with other developing romances. Excited to see where this goes.
1. Chapter 1

Background: Bellamy and Finn saved the 100 from the Mountain Men. Most of the Ark members have joined the camp, as well as Octavia and Lincoln. Bellamy and Clarke are "married."

Chapter 1

Clarke's POV

"Mm, Bellamy, we should have been up an hour ago," I murmured. Already the camp was bustling around, but we had remained in our home, a little two bedroom with a sitting room in the front that was close to the original drop ship. I had my fingers in his hair, gently playing with it.

"No," He grumbled into my stomach where his head rested, arms protectively curled around me. My head was on a pillow and we were lying diagonally, but even then his feet were hanging off the bed, something that didn't seem to bother him. This had turned into Bellamy's morning routine. He'd disentangle with me so he could rest his head over the two lives growing within. Sometimes he'd talk to them softly, others he'd hum songs, and then there were times like this that he'd fall back to sleep.

"You know there's stuff to do, right?" I reminded in a tease and could practically hear him roll his eyes. He sat up and crawled up my body until he was on all fours above me, our faces barely a few inches away.

"Then stop giving me such a good excuse to lie in bed all day," He teased back. I rolled my eyes and he leaned down until we finally kissed. It was gentle, adoring, and loving. He pulled away and planted on one my forehead before finally getting out of bed.

"Remember not to push yourself too hard," He worried. I huffed and then barked out a laugh.

"I could say the same thing to you. If you keep up this mother hen act, you're going to be gray before they get here," He chuckled and leaned down to press two kisses to my rounding belly. Even now my throat closed up with emotion at the clear adoration that he had for the two babies inside. I fought down the hormone filled tears that threatened to spill over with joy. Bellamy caught my gaze though and returned to give me one last kiss.

"I'll be back by the afternoon. Love you Princess,"

"Love you too," I replied with equal affection and managed to plant a kiss on his cheek before he stood up. He grabbed a shirt on the way out and I listened to his footsteps pause in the sitting room to put on his boots before he was on his way.

"I guess we should get up too," I chided to the little ones as I heaved to a sitting position. I gently caressed my stomach before getting out of bed to find some pants and my shoes. Once I exited our door, I spotted Octavia walking across the way with a protective Lincoln at her side. She was only three months along with a single baby, but it was still nice to have another pregnant woman within the camp.

Wooden huts lined the path. A huge common room that fit everyone rather comfortably was farther down next to the garden and food storage. We still had the wall, but the gates remained open the entire day, allowing for our grounder allies to make easy entrance into the camp. A leader named Nadia, had taken over Anya's lands and people, but she had been the one to extend the hand of friendship and trust. With help from our own fighters, she'd expanded her lands so that there was a rather large buffer zone between our camp and the border of a neighboring tribe. We shared medical techniques and training fighters. She'd even gotten comfortable enough to bring her one year old son, Darren, to the camp to tour with her when we updated out statuses to each other.

"Here are some berries and nuts for you Clarke. What have I told you about making sure you eat breakfast?" Mom pestered well naturedly as I entered a quiet med bay. I shrugged sheepishly and took the food along with some water. I lay down on the table next to the ultrasound machine Monte and Raven had conjured up when it was apparent I was pregnant.

"Five months," I told mom with a smile as she readied the probe. That was the rough estimate of when my pregnancy started and we did monthly checkups. Normally Bellamy was with me, but today he was on a hunting party, and I didn't want to wait. Mom placed it against my skin and two brave heartbeats immediately met my ears. I grinned at the screen as she slightly moved the probe, trying to get a better angle on the second baby as the first was curled up in the front of the view.

"There you go, two healthy baby girls," Mom murmured and I gaped over at her.

"You can tell?" I demanded with excitement.

"Well I'm not a _doctor_ or anything," She laughed right before boots entered the room.

"What's going on in here?" Bellamy's voice made the twin in the front react. She wiggled and outstretched her hand toward the wall of the womb, as if searching for him.

"Bellamy, come here," I commanded and he came through the curtain.

"Is everything okay?" He asked before catching sight of the screen and once again the daughter that stirred at the sound of his voice. His eyes went wide and he strode over until he flanked me. Very gently, he pressed his hand over where hers must've been, and everything seemed to fall away. Brown eyes sparkled in unhindered delight as he gazed, completely mesmerized at the screen.

"They're girls," Mom said to him. Bellamy was about to reply when a crash came from somewhere by the med bay door, causing both little ones to jump at the outburst.

"Sorry!" Jasper called guiltily. Bellamy frowned before turning his attention back to the babies.

"It's okay, daddy will keep you safe," He reassured lovingly. I felt tears form at the corner of my eyes at his words.

"I'm going to check on a follow-up patient," Mom quickly cleaned my stomach and turned the machine off before discreetly leaving. Bellamy cradled my belly with one hand before reaching with the other to wipe away a tear with his thumb.

"Two more princesses running around huh?" He questioned with a broad grin and I nodded happily.

"Then they're going to need names fit for princesses," I responded. He helped me sit up before something finally occurred to me.

"What are you doing back? I thought you were going hunting?"

"We were until we ran into Nadia. She's on her way with her son. I sent Miller and the rest of the group on the hunt while I came back to be with you. I feel sort of left out though, you finding out about the girls before I would," I could tell that he wasn't really that concerned, too overjoyed with the moment. I shrugged with a half smile and he placed a quick kiss on my lips before we went back outside to greet Nadia. Her son was already a handsome little boy with thick chestnut brown hair and light blue eyes.

"Clarke, Bellamy," She greeted as she dismounted her horse with her son.

"Nadia, how have you been?" I asked as Darren immediately tried to scramble down from her hold.

"Do you want to see the new chicks that just hatched?" Bellamy asked the little boy and he nodded eagerly while Nadia and I watched their departure with a smile.

"He's very good with him," Nadia said with a genuine smile as we began our routine walk around the camp. Nadia's mate had died protecting her the night their son was born when a tribe had launched an attack during her weakness.

"Boys have an easy time connecting," I replied with a smile, unconsciously placing my hands on my stomach as we walked. Nadia had gifted two rocking cradles to me and then another to Octavia when she found out about our pregnancies. New life was a precious thing to any community.

"One of my patrols reported that one of your hunting parties crossed on to our hunting territory, though they only managed to get a couple of squirrels before returning to your side. I would appreciate it if you would remind them that our resources are divided in fairness,"

"Of course, I apologize for their carelessness," I'd gotten better at this diplomatic thing. I made an effort to not let my frustration get the best of me and always tried to smooth things over with Nadia.

"Thank you," We walked in silence until we found Bellamy and Darren standing in the chicken cage, Darren holding a chick carefully between his two hands.

"We'd be happy to give you a few to take back," I told her as Darren gently released the chick back to the ground before he and Bellamy left the pen.

"We have enough, thank you. Besides, you will need as much protein as possible, before and after your little ones come," She pointedly looked down at my hands as the two approached us.

"Momma, no go. Play more?" Darren looked up at his mother with puppy dog eyes as Bellamy stood next to me, lightly entwining our fingers.

"Maybe when we get to the river," She picked him up and her warriors flanked her back to their horses before they left. Bellamy whispered down in my ear, "I'm glad that Darren will get to have some playmates when the girls are old enough."

"They don't stay playmates for ever, Bell," I teased back and watched the color leave his face briefly.

"Angel," He said after I tugged him into a walk.

"What?" I asked.

"Angel, that should be the firstborn's name," He pressed a hand against my belly and what I guessed to be the right twin once again stirred at his voice from her nap.

5 Months Later

Bellamy's POV

"Clarke, your daughters are hungry and I don't have the right hardware for this," I called as both of my daughters were sniffling in my arms. Lily was working herself up to a wail. I could tell by the way she was scrunching her nose and kept wiggling. Abby claimed she was the exact replica of Clarke as a baby, with soft blonde hair, and newborn eyes that were slowly beginning to take on a blue. On the other hand, Angel was completely content with calm dark brown eyes and thick black hair, her features mirroring mine. I'd gotten up with them when the crying started in the middle of the night, allowing Clarke some sleep, yet here I was making her get up anyway.

"No, I guess you don't," She grumbled as she sat down in the rocking chair, exhaustion clear on her face. I handed her Lily and continued to gently bounce Angel as I moved around their room. The last week had proven they preferred to nurse separately and she wasn't threatening to cry, so I allowed the younger of the two to go first.

"Shh shh little one, it's okay," Clarke murmured lovingly to the bundle underneath the blanket. Angel drowsily looked around, extricating her arm from her blanket, and I placed my finger in her hand. She held tight to it even as she began to dose off again.

"I bet your sister woke you up," I whispered to her. She nuzzled her face into my chest before completely closing her eyes and her features relaxed back into sleep. I sat down in the other rocking chair and slowly swayed back and forth.

"Clarke?" I questioned and her eyes opened up a little again.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," She frowned as she took in my words.

"For what?"

"For them, for you," She smiled easily at that and blew me a kiss as she settled back against the chair. I closed my eyes, reminding myself I was just resting them, before drifting off with the rest of my family.

**AN: Okay, so I decided to rewrite the beginning of this story and changed the story line. Hopefully this will turn out a little bit better and be more interesting than the first time. Please review, I hope to get three chapters out before deciding to continue or not. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bellamy's POV

"You can't catch me daddy!" Angel yelled tauntingly from her spot on a stump about twenty feet ahead. She was grinning widely, trying to goad me into a chase. Miller and Jasper were walking behind me, carrying the deer I'd shown Angel how to take down. My little sun worshipper, always wanting to be outside, even when there wasn't light. She'd gladly splash in rain puddles during a storm or climb on branches in strong wind. So opposite of her sister who hung off of Clarke and Abby's coattails in the med bay all day or would stay near Monte and Raven while they worked on machinery inside. Angel stuck her tongue out at me before taking off in a sprint and I immediately took off after her.

"Oh come on Bell!" Jasper whined, but I was too far gone to care. Angel giggled in delight when she glanced over her shoulder to see me in pursuit. Waist length black hair fanned out behind her like dark fire as she continued to evade me. Just like I'd taught her, she sidestepped to wiggle underneath a root that had separated from the tree, trying to throw me off. I grinned in pride as I cleared it in one quick hurdle and continued after her. She ran down a steep bank that would even make some veteran outdoorsmen cringe at taking full speed, but she always had the confidence to trust her footing, and made it down without even the slightest slip. I lunged for her and we tumbled down the hill in a mess of limbs and laughter until we reached the bottom and I let her roll out of my arms. Before she got up, I closed my eyes and stuck out my tongue.

"Daddy, you're not dead," I heard her little voice say with suspicion somewhere from my right. Her footsteps approached softly, almost in silence, something Lincoln was already working with her on. A stick poked my ribs and I held down the urge to laugh.

"Daddy," She grumbled warily and took another step closer. I moved with uncanny speed to gather her up and spin her around. She laughed loudly before I brought her back to my chest. Her laughter faded as she buried her head into my neck, two little arms wrapping around it.

"My daddy," She murmured as I began the trek up the bank and back toward the path.

"Always yours," I replied back. That had been our mantra for two years now. Whether she said it out reassurance or content, I never failed to respond. It made everything real and surreal at the same time. Here I was a leader of a growing and thriving community, husband to a loving wife, and father to two beautiful daughters. Yet it didn't feel like my reality, like I wasn't deserving of so much happiness, but I would gladly take it until someone realized the error.

"When can I kill my own deer?" She asked drowsily, cheek resting against my shoulder, forehead still pressed against my neck.

"When you're bigger," I knew she hated that answer, but she stopped fighting me on it a while ago.

"Darren gets to kill things," She pointed out spitefully and I rolled my eyes.

"Darren gets to kill squirrels and raccoons, not deer. He's also a year older. I'll teach you when you turn five," I could sense her frown. According to everybody in camp, she frowned just like me, but at least it meant she knew when to be serious. Hopefully she knew when to catch herself because I was terrified of the day she picked a fight just a little too big. She was a spitfire, wildly curios and ridiculously reckless, even worse than Octavia when we landed on the ground.

"I'm going to be the best hunter and the best fighter," Angel announced rather smugly for a four year old child and I had to fight down my cringe. She loved wrestling and would tackle anyone willing to throw her around or vise versa. Poor Lily didn't know what hit her half the time, regardless of how paranoid and ready she was. Clarke hated it, but I'd rather indulge her. Lincoln and I were both working with her on simple techniques like stances, she was already proving to lean more towards the grounder techniques, but then again, she didn't know the discipline of the Ark like I had.

"Bellamy, where have you been? Monte and Jasper got back half an hour ago!" Clarke snapped as she did a quick once over of me and our daughter. Angel and I both shared conspiratorial smiles and she fluttered her eyelashes at her mommy rather cheekily.

"We're sorry we're late," I tried placating her. Lily ran up and I picked her up in my other arm, secretly using my daughters as human shields against my wife's worry. Angel and I had a habit of getting distracted when we left camp to do something. It never worried Clarke until one time we came home after dark. Her eyes narrowed before a slight smirk curled her lips, telling me she saw right through my defense, but then broke out in a grin when Angel and Lily each kissed one of my cheeks.

Clarke's POV

"How's our little brother?" Lily asked as she and Angel skipped into the med bay. They both pressed hands to my huge belly, seeing if they could feel him again today. I was eight months pregnant and they were both happy for the new arrival.

"Good, probably napping, something I wouldn't mind doing as well," I laughed as they both braced me on each side as I stood up from the chair I'd taken a short break in. I didn't remember being so tired with their pregnancy, but then again, ten years made a lot of difference.

"Well Nadia is on her way for the celebration," Angel informed as they each held a hand as we walked out into camp. Every summer solstice brought about food and drink for a night in recognition of another year.

"Hey Auntie Clarke! Hi Angel! Hi Lily," Amia, Octavia and Lincoln's daughter, called with a wide smile. She'd ended up looking like Lincoln, except with a rounder version of Octavia's face. We all smiled as she passed with a huge bouquet of wild flowers, probably a center piece for the table that the leaders and their families would be sitting. While we watched the chaos ensue, Angel poked my belly, to which her brother poked back.

"Don't you dare start that again," I laughed as we moved towards the gardens. It would most definitely be quieter over there and keep me out of the way. Bellamy was out hunting, aiming for a couple of bucks and two large boars.

"But it was so much fun," She teased. The sunlight hit her light freckles, again making her undoubtedly Bellamy Blake's daughter. She was already turning into a mischievous wild child, but training in fighting and hunting helped keep her in check with her kindred spirit. Luckily, Lily was very often the voice of reason before Angel took something too far, although the older twin was very good at being persuasive, and even a shy Lily could be caught up in a wild scheme of sorts.

"Here, take a little nap, we promise to wake you up when Nadia arrives," Lily said as we approached the hammock that was tied between two orange trees that had grown strong over the past years. Normally I would've argued, but the offer seemed too good to pass up. They helped settled me in and I watched the growers carefully pick plants for the feast, eyes slowly drawing shut.

Angel's POV

"Hey daddy, momma is asleep in the hammock. We're going to go see how far along Nadia's tribe is!" I called over my shoulder as Lily and I left camp. Dad gave me a smile and nod as the men hauled in two bucks, a doe, and two boars, more than enough meat for the celebration.

"You have your—" I flashed my knife from under my shirt before daddy could finish and heard a pleased 'humph' before he continued towards the fire pits.

"So are we actually going to find the tribe or go on one of your adventures?" Lily questioned when we were out of earshot of the returning hunters. I smirked over at my sister.

"Lil', you need only have to ask if you're getting the urge to discover something new,"

"Um, no, finding a gator's clutch of eggs was not my idea of discovering something new. I'm not eager for a repeat," I grinned at her serious tone. She was careful, like mom, and that was all safe and good, but also boring.

"We'll find a happy compromise one day, just you wait," I said as we continued to walk through the familiar terrain. I remembered from here about two hundred yards away was where I'd taken down my first deer when I was eight with a bow and arrow. To my left is the valley that daddy and Uncle Lincoln train me almost every day to fight. Uncle Lincoln was now moving on to weapons with me and I was favoring the double bladed sword, though mom was adamant I wasn't to have my own until I was thirteen. She barely stomached me carrying around a knife.

"Ange?"

"Yes?"

"Do you ever wonder what it was like living up in the Ark?"

"Sometimes, but I don't think I'd like it very much. I'd hate the stale air and no grass or real sunlight. This is our home," I wrinkled my nose at the thought of confinement.

"I love home too," She said simply as if it hadn't been the most random thing to bring up. I looked up to see three horsemen approaching us, members of Nadia's tribe, probably sent along as scouts. They slowed when they came near and dismounted.

"What are you doing all the way out here, Fallen One?" The head of the group said with a sneer. They were all probably around thirteen, lanky and tall, but clearly feeling dominant. I refrained from trying to explain to them we were born on the ground just as they were because they were too stupid to listen.

"Just wanted to see Nadia to our camp," I tipped my chin up arrogantly.

"Aw, you're so brave, walking a little out of that hole. Do you even know what direction you're going in?" He continued to jab with his words, but I was having none of it.

"South, you as—"

"Angel!" Lily warned before I could bite out the rest of the word. Even though I didn't look at her, I could feel her fear.

"Maybe you should listen to your friend and go home before you burst into tears," He made a sweeping motion and the other boys snickered.

"Shame on the man who puts down others to bolster himself, oh wait, you're just a little boy," I taunted back and could sense Lily blanch as the boys' eyes went wide at my words.

"Take it back brat," He snarled, taking a step closer, but I only took one closer in return.

"Make me," He swung his fist at my face, but I ducked below it and tackled him to the ground. My fists connected with his face several times before one of the others yanked me by my hair to the side and off the leader. I kicked his feet out from under him, but was met with a kick to my cheek from the third when the other hit the floor. I was riling to get to my feet when a flash of brown hair and tanned skin rammed the boy up against the tree and punched him in the gut before shoving him to the ground.

"All of you get on your horses and go! Don't bother coming to the celebration, you don't deserve it!" I recognized Darren's rage filled voice as they all scrambled back to their rides and took off.

"Angel, you okay?" He was suddenly crouched over me, concern lacing his eyes, before he helped me sit up. My cheek hurt, but that was about it.

"Thanks," I whispered, slightly ashamed at being rescued.

"You could've taken them without me. Zach's right cheek was swelling, his nose was still bleeding, and his right eye was swollen shut. Jack's head hit the ground pretty hard from what I saw by the time I got to Max. You would've just rolled to your feet and kicked his butt too, no doubt," I smiled brilliantly, so happy to hear the praise. I noticed Lily was still up against the tree, her muscles rigid, and tears threatening to fall from her scared eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't—"  
"Oh Lily, it's okay," I scrambled to my feet and wrapped my sister in a tight hug that she returned with equal strength.

"I'm glad you don't like to fight. It makes you who you are," I whispered in her ear before she pulled away, quickly wiping at her tears.

"How do you always know what to say?" She smiled slightly.

"All part of my charm," I replied with a smile.

"Come on, we should probably head back to the camp. My mom might have already beaten us there. Wanna a ride, Lily?" Lily's face lit up and he helped boost her onto the horse, his hands still on the reins, and we began the walk back.

"How did you know where to find us?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I saw Zach and his gang peel off from the group and decided to see what they were up to. It took longer for me to break away, but I spotted you after following the direction. If they hadn't stopped you, you would've actually made it to our approaching tribe,"

"Hey, I know the way back from here, can I?"

"Go for it," Darren said with a huge grin as he handed up the reins to her and she set the horse in a gallop down the path.

"Are you sure your cheek is okay? It looks like it hurts," Darren worried.

"It's fine. I've bruised before, I'll be bruised again," I said with a smirk. Though Darren was better at hunting and fighting than me, he always took the time to spar when his mom came around, and never took it easy on me.

"I'm proud of your for the way you handled that fight. I know you have a knife, but you didn't use it. That takes mental strength to not reach for a weapon when you're threatened," We were getting close and I could hear the celebration in full swing with laughter, singing, and flutes make music. Darren and I entered the party, luckily no one seemed too concerned about our absence, and I promised to tell mom and daddy about what happened to my cheek later. We ate and I almost yelped in surprise when Darren snagged me into a dancing circle after dinner. We grinned at each other and I knew Darren would always be my direct line to protection and fun.

**AN: I was going to stop there, but for those of you who probably want a little Bellarke...**

Bellamy's POV

"Her cheek doesn't seem too bad," Clarke muttered for the hundredth time. The party was beginning to wear down, though the music and dancing was still kept alive by the moon's glow. Amia and Lily were talking on the sidelines. Darren was showing Angel yet another new dance step for the circle they were in. Clarke and I were sitting in a nearby grassy area, out of reach of the firelight and the crowd. I was leaning against a tree with her between my legs, my hands gently caressing her round belly.

"She's tough. I'm sure she'll just get frustrated if you pester her about it," Knowing my wife well enough, I knew her eyes were rolling before she burrowed herself further into my chest.

"Think that we'll have all the kinks completely worked out by the time Jake comes along?" She asked gently, covering her hands over mine.

"Shh, don't say that, now that you did, there are going to be more kinks. But I might know how to remedy the situation before it gets out of hand," I slipped from behind her and gently pushed her to the soft ground. She was too big now to comfortably hover over, so I laid down by her side instead, "Hopefully fate didn't hear that and I better make sure you don't risk tempting it anymore."

"Bell," She giggled right before my lips found hers in the dark. It was so hard nowadays to get any one on one time with my wife. Obviously with a baby on the way, we'd found ways around our daughters in the next room, but I missed this. I bit on her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, tongue quickly meeting mine for a battle of dominance that I knew how to win. I pulled away, allowing my slight scruff to rake against her jaw as I kissed over her cheek to her ear before heading down her neck to suck on her pulse point.

"Bellamy," She softly moaned, crazy pregnancy hormones clearly getting the best of her.

"Shh, I told you not to tempt fate," I rasped against her collarbone. Just as the words left my mouth, I heard footsteps, and looked up at a drunken Monte and Raven laughing loudly as the disappeared into their hut, not noticing us. Luckily they didn't see us, but I rolled onto my back and looked over at Clarke, the moment her eyes met mine, we began to laugh like two teenagers who had just escaped the guards.

**AN: Really liked this chapter and I hope you all did too. The next one should contain Lily and Angel's POVs as they ascend into the teen years. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Angel's POV

I slunk across the forest floor in silence, eyes trained to the ground. Some more deer tracks appeared in the mud and I knelt to test the soft ground, they had to be fresh. Once again I began to stalk my prey. The forest was strangely silent, free of birds or small critters, but I was too focused on my mission to care. My spear was ready in my right hand as I chose every step carefully. A twig snapped nearby and I ducked into a crouch, assessing the source and what caused it. Just as I was about to continue on, I felt a presence behind me and spun with my weapon at point. Darren smirked down at me and I rolled my eyes, the spear barely an inch away from his throat.

"I could've killed you," His lips turned up in a smile as he slowly moved the spear point away with a tip of his finger.

"You could've tried, but it's harder than it looks," He walked passed me and I could see the ten marks on his shoulder, proving that some had attempted and failed, "I already bagged the deer you've been tracking by the way."

"You didn't! Dare, that was supposed to be my deer," I pouted and he grinned over his shoulder. This was a mutual hunting territory where either side could try to take down food, but it didn't take the sting out.

"Well since you made it all this way, I'll split it with you," He stepped over a large fallen tree and then offered his hand to help me over, even though I didn't need it. He didn't release my hand after that and I pretended to not notice.

Lately things with Darren were changing. He visited without his mother a lot more now, always searching me out regardless of what I was doing. Whenever a boy around my age would talk to me, Darren got ridiculously overprotective, and would scare them off with a deadly glare. Sparring seemed to be harder for him with me, he would hold himself in check like I was breakable and after a big fight about it, we rarely conducted the practice together anymore. Then he was always near during my solo hunts, even when I could've sworn I didn't tell him I was going on one.

Of course, mom explained that I was going through changes too. My . . . _feminine_ stuff had started about two years ago when I was 11 and with it came unpredictable emotions and boobs. Lily had stopped growing at 5'5, but I had strangely reached daddy's height, making me tall for a girl in the camp. Mom had also explained to Lily and I that our hormones were changing and that things weren't going to be the same with boys anymore. But I'd been acutely aware of the changes that Darren had undergone as well within the last year. His voice had grown deep, his height had tipped out at about six foot five, and his muscles were growing, even now they were well defined and big. I'd always understood that Darren was good looking, but now he was hot in a way that took stole the brotherly appeal and replaced it with something else.

"What is it, Angel?" I shrugged at his question.

"Nothing, just thinking," He looked down at me with a suspicious gleam in his eyes, but didn't press. We reached the tree where he'd strung up the deer to find it untouched by any other carnivores. He eased it back down with the rope and we went about gutting and skinning it. While I was working on the hide, Darren was cutting the meat into manageable pieces to place in our packs for transport. We moved with ease around each other, automatically passing knives without asking, and adjusting so the other could get a better angle on something. Once everything was prepared and packed, I looked up at Darren.

"I think it's your turn to take the hide," I offered it, but he shook his head.

"I saw one of your hides on your bed that's all worn out, take it," We stared at each other as I attempted to read the emotions that were passing quickly in his blue eyes.

"Here," He took the hide and tied it on top of my pack so there was no argument, "Do you need to be home soon?"

"No, I told my parents I'd be out all day. What about you?"

"Same thing, come on, the meadow isn't far. I'll race you," I took off in a sprint just as Darren did, but the pack was heavy and slowing me down. Dare of course trained with heavy armor that made moving at full speed a breeze. By the time I reached the meadow, Darren was laying in the middle of it, oozing triumph. I rolled my eyes as I shrugged off my pack next to his and lay down so that we were parallel of each other, my head just a few inches from his one.

"Can I ask you something?" He said quietly and I turned my head to look at him.

"Yeah,"

"Do you think I'll be a good leader one day?" I frowned at the question.

"Of course you'll be a good leader, probably even better than your mom one day. What's the matter?" I rolled to my side and propped my head up on my hand so I look down at his face. His eyebrows were pulled together in the slightest and his jaw was tight.

"What if nothing is the matter?" He evaded.

"Darren, I've known you for thirteen years. I can always tell when something is the matter with you," He smiled a little at that.

"Yeah, you can . . . It's just, Zach made a comment the other day—"

"You should never listen to anything Zach has to say, you know that," I admonished softly, still trying to put the pieces together.

"He said that a treaty with your community would have to end at some point. That it isn't natural,"

"Then I'm glad you know he's wrong. You'll always make the best decisions for your tribe, Dare; you have a huge heart that can care for everyone and everything. I mean, you do it all the time with me. You've always been there for me, even when there were more important things to be doing," Suddenly he moved so that we were face, only a couple of inches of separation.

"There's nothing more important to me than being there for you Angel," I froze at his bluntness. We were always honest with each other, but never so . . . forward.

"Darren," I murmured and he leaned in even closer. Warm breath tickled down my chin from where his nose almost touched my own. I subconsciously licked my lips, trying to fight through the intensity of the moment. His eyes were searching mine and I had no idea what he was looking for, but I shifted forward just a fraction of an inch. It seemed to be what he wanted because he gently pressed his lips to mine and I closed my eyes. I'd seen other couples shove their tongues down each other's throats, but that wasn't happening. Each kiss was slow, languid, just lips on lips. Carefully he pulled away, but adorably rubbed his nose against mine.

"Sorry, I—"

"Don't you dare apologize for that," I grinned and he returned my smile just as broadly. Maybe I'd always known in the back of my mind that it would Darren, but nothing beat the fact that it actually was.

Lily's POV

"Where are your brother and sister?" Amia asked as she came to sit down next to me in the open door of the med bay. I pointed outside to where Jake and Angel were wrestling in a grassy area, though Angel was careful to not throw him around too hard. She allowed him to tackle her to the ground before she shoved him back as she moved to a sitting position. He stumbled back with a huge smile, clearly delighted at the game. Jake had mom's blond hair and dad's dark brown eyes, a perfect mix of the two really.

"Rawr!" He yelled as he ran at her in full force to which she caught him and rolled him to the ground.

"I. Am. The. . . Tickle Monster!" Angel declared as she kept him trapped between her knees as she tickled under his arms and over his stomach. His six year old laughter cried out through camp. I smiled at their fun, glad that Jake had such an efficient release of his energy. Angel could play with him for hours without tiring and then could just pass him off to Darren when she sometimes got annoyed or wanted to do something else.

"I thought sixteen year olds were too cool for their little brothers," Amia teased as she bumped her shoulder into mine. I laughed a little because that was the case with her little brother, Xavier, who had just turned twelve. They fought all the time about the stupidest stuff.

"Jake is too adorable to be too cool for," I replied. Angel allowed him to squirm from her hold and he bolted. She managed to snag him and throw him high into the air, causing him to really howl with laughter as he came back down to her waiting arms.

"Angel, don't do that!" Mom gasped from behind us just as my twin was readying to do it again. She smirked sheepishly and allowed Jake to touch the ground again.

"But it was fun mama!" Jake whined as they approached.

"It gave me a heart attack," Mom grumbled as she picked him up to hug him close. I tried to remember if she'd been so worried about us but couldn't recall, then again, he was the baby.

"I've got to leave for training anyway. I'll see you later," Angel blew a kiss over her shoulder. I quickly got up and jogged to her side.

"Can I come too?" I asked nonchalantly.

"So you can ogle Uriah? Sure," She smirked over at me knowingly as my cheeks lit up. Darren had introduced the new warrior about a week ago and I had failed to get him out of my head. Dark brown hair, olive skin, light green eyes, walked around training half naked, what more could I ask for?

"Does he have a. . ."

"Girlfriend? Mate? No, he transferred from a tribe about seventy-five miles away that was losing its war. He's a very accomplished warrior at seventeen, but he hasn't beat Darren," Angel immediately slipped into a smile at the mention of the love of her life. I rolled my eyes and playfully shoved her shoulder as we approached the open area they used for battle training. My sister had dominated into the top five best hand to hand combat fighters between both sides and in the top three for the double bladed sword that Darren gifted her.

"Hey Angel. Hey Lily," Darren greeted warmly as he wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders as some of his friends approached. Angel had been gifted with a big chest where I was just a medium size, something it seemed the entire male population had taken into account. On Darren's other side stood Uriah and I tried to hide my squirminess.

"Shall we get started?" Uncle Lincoln's voice broke through the group and I was grateful because Uriah almost caught my gaze. Angel winked over her shoulder at me as she paired up with someone and I took a seat on a stump to watch. My twin had always made it clear that she was glad I was who I was, choosing to heal instead of hurt, quiet where she was loud, always her opposite but always her best friend. Yet I knew how attractive most guys found that she was a warrior and hunter while I was never spared a second glance. I wasn't exactly jealous, but it wouldn't hurt to be more like Ange sometimes it seemed. But on the other hand, I wasn't sure how I felt about the twenty little scars on her shoulders, proving her prowess in battle.

The feeling of eyes on me made me look up, trying to track down the sensation. Uriah was about twenty yards away, but most definitely had his attention on me. I almost squeaked when I saw a fist flying for his face, but he easily caught it and twisted it around the guy's back until he was begging for mercy. Uriah let up and I blushed when a little smile curved his lips before he fully turned his full attention back on his partner. I heard metal clanging and watched Angel battling it out before tripping the other girl smoothly and pressing the edge of her blade to her throat before stepping back.

"Good," Uncle Lincoln complimented as he made his rounds to each pair. A rider appeared at the other end of the field and headed straight for Uncle Lincoln, a second horse trailing his own. He barely stopped, saying something quickly, before Lincoln was mounting the other horse and riding in the direction the man had come. Angel and Darren quickly regrouped and I walked up to them.

"What's going on?" I asked when I was close enough.

"We don't know. Why would you go to Uncle Lincoln instead of you? You're Nadia's son," Angel looked up at him questioningly and he looked just as concerned as she was.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough,"

Lincoln's POV

I followed Reginald in silence until he slowed, close to the border of Nadia's lands, and I could see six warriors grouped together with Nadia ahead. I dismounted and walked over.

"What's—" Nadia shifted to the side and three horribly mangled bodied lay side by side. I'd been in battles, gutted my enemies, but I'd never seen something this gruesome.

"This was my morning patrol. Footprints lead back over the border into Grant's land, but no one has been able to reach him or his tribe. This isn't their style of killing anyway. Whoever did this is sick," She spoke gravely and I nodded in agreement. I was about to ask how she wanted to proceed when a lone rider exited through the mist, slumped against his horse.

"That's my messenger for Grant," Nadia gasped. One of her warriors managed to slow and stop the horse as another two rushed over to the nearly limp man who was breathing shallowly. He coughed and sputtered as they propped him between them in a standing position. His face was bloodied and swollen with a large cut down his side and another over his thigh.

"They call themselves the Blood Warriors and they're after women and land. The leader specifically wants the warrior daughter of Bellamy and Clarke for his own. He's promised to wage war to both of us. They've wiped out entire tribes in a matter of months, Nadia," The man sputtered and sticky blood coughed up from his mouth, "I'm sorry."

"He's dead," One of her warriors said solemnly as they gently lowered him down to the ground. There wasn't a moment to waste, before Nadia could say anything, I was on my horse and pushing it full speed toward the camp. I was relieved to see everything was fine as I barely stopped my horse at the gates.

"Where's Bellamy?" I yelled at the nearest person.

"In the common house," She whimpered and I ran to the door and threw it open. Clarke and Bellamy were in there with a few of their trusted friends.

"Lincoln, what's the matter?" Octavia got up but I shook my head in agitation. I looked Bellamy in the eye, "We have a war on the way."

**AN: So I appreciate the reviews I've gotten so far and am happy to announce I'm going to continue this story. As was requested by a reviewer, I'm going to incorporate multiple perspectives from characters to help keep it interesting. Please review! **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nadia's POV

"What do you mean they want Angel?" Darren asked with deadly calm from across the table. Even one my generals paled slightly at the promise of death in my son's voice.

"She's a young, strong, viral female. She's been in fights with you. Her fame has spread. She'd be another victory to him," I explained and only watched his muscles grow even tenser to a point of threatening to rip.

"Angel would never want him,"

"Want is not what they expect of the women they kidnap and take as their own," Laurence reminded my son.

"We need to get an estimation of their forces and weapons," Niall attempted to get it back on track. I let the generals' voices fade away as I evaluated my son who stood at the other end from me. He gripped the edge of the table in white knuckled rage, but I could tell by his repetitive glances at the door that all he wanted was to reach Angel and know she was safe. For someone who gladly took his woman to battle, Darren seemed like he needed to protect her with his dying breath. _Just like his father, _my inner voice whispered.

"Maybe we can offer her up—"

"No!" His voice snapped at Cameron who actually flinched at the seventeen year old. The glare Darren gave him could only be equivalent to a fresh blade that had just left the fire and was soaked in poison.

"And then ambush them," Laurence bravely finished the thought.

"No, there's no way I'm even risking that bastard getting his hands on her. We need to weaken them down. They have to cross the border to get as us and the camp, so as long as we use traps to decrease their numbers, a final battle should be enough to take them down and eliminate the threat," _He sounds just like him, _the voice whispered again, but louder this time.

"That's assuming that our traps can even suffice to lower their warriors. These are ruthless, bloodthirsty savages, Darren, nothing like Julian's men who attempted to push the border a few months ago. I know you worry for your love's safety, but our tribe's safety takes priority over her own. I'm not encouraging putting her in a dangerous situation, but I'm not condemning the idea either," I responded with authority to my son.

"Leave us," He barked out at the generals and I felt myself ready for a fight as they scurried away.

"If you think for one second that I'd knowingly risk Angel's life in a plan that would call for failure over victory, you are terribly mistaken. She's not just my love, mom, she's my life. She's the sun and moon, night and day, everything I care about is wrapped up _within _her. If I lost her I wouldn't be fit to lead our people, because I wouldn't be able to see or move past that darkness," The sincerity in his eyes caught me off guard. _He has his father's passion, _I shook my head, not to disagree with him, but to shake the image of Kellan standing next to our son out of my mind. They'd look like twin brothers now, of course, I'd never gotten the chance to see gray enter my husband's hair, or watch those wrinkles from smiling develop, and definitely missed seeing him teach Darren our ways of battle and life.

"Let us wait until the scouts return with information, until then we should go see what Clarke and Bellamy have to say about all this," I diplomatically put off the argument for later. Darren seemed to know this as well, but didn't press the issue as we mounted our horses and left for their camp. I glanced over at him as we rode, but his expression remained unchanging. His eyebrows were drawn close together, his jaw was set tight, and his lips almost formed a grimace. All of this telling me he was deeply concentrated on his thoughts.

The gates of their wall actually had to be opened for us, something I had a vague recollection of occurring several years ago, even before Darren came into this world. Angel was already waiting outside their common room. I expected Darren to sprint and crush her into an embrace. I was caught completely off guard by his calm demeanor as he slowly approached her, took her hand, and kissed her forehead gently. There ability to read each other was astounding, even more to the point of knowing what they needed. She nodded at me as we all entered the room. Lincoln and Octavia along with a few of their other advisors flanked Bellamy and Clarke. My warriors and I took a seat in the table in front of the group while Darren, Angel, and Lily sat in chairs against the wall between the two councils.

"I assume Lincoln has informed you," There didn't seem a point to official greetings today. Bellamy made a sound of affirmation from where his head rested against his conjoined hands on the table. Clarke had a hand resting in the crook of his elbow as she continued to watch his face.

"You're telling me this asshole thinks he has the right to steal my daughter and the rest of female population and slaughter the rest of us, just because he feels like it?" He growled out, still not dropping his hands so I could see him.

"That is correct,"

"Over my dead body!" He slammed his fists against the table. Lincoln gave me a warning look and I refrained from making an immediate comment. Bellamy was a scared father and leader, cornered into a situation he felt he had no control over, and I knew better than to make it worse. Nothing would get done then.

"Daddy, we should discuss the plan that we brainstormed to see how Nadia feels about it," Everyone shot a grateful look at Angel. Darren had his arm around her shoulders and she had his other hand placed between her two. Both looked dangerously calm, but that was something I learned they brought out of each other. Lily looked over at her sister with wide eyes, clearly uncomfortable.

"We know that one mile into the borders is set with traps such as hidden ditches, wire triggers that shoot spikes, and quicksand. But those are avoidable once the first few dozen deaths occur and expose the locations. It would be best to start picking them off after those using tree archers. From there we begin guerilla warfare, once again causing their numbers to decrease while causing minimal deaths through multiple attacks and retreats. It's safe to assume that only their strongest will be alive after that, but it shouldn't be anything a huge force can't handle," Bellamy finished.

"But that's running on the belief that they'll be coming at us full force," Laurence countered, "How do we go about multiple attacks at once that threaten to scatter our defenses? A technique that's common and receives good results."

"We arrange our military line to in a sort of blockade, if you will, with two more rounds waiting after them to catch any warriors who get by the first or second. We have enough fighters for it," Darren responded evenly, causing many nods of agreement.

"Or they do something completely unexpected," Lincoln murmured, killing the brief moment of excitement.

"You can only prepare so much for the unexpected, but that's what _hope_ is for, to take up the slack," Darren's woman definitely spoke with wisdom beyond her years sometimes. I'd secretly worried about their pairing in the beginning, wondering if a girl from the camp would suffice over a tribeswoman, but Angel had unknowingly proved me wrong. She was what a leader demanded of an heir and what a mother prayed for when she thought of her only son.

"Do we have any idea of when they'll strike?" Octavia eventually asked.

"Not yet, we're working on getting information from the scouts I sent out," I responded. The room fell into slightly awkward silence. There was nothing more to do for now.

"We shall return tomorrow with news from my scouts. Good bye," As we rose from the bench, I glanced at Darren to see if he too would be coming home with us, but his heart was clearly here.

Clarke's POV

"Bellamy, you need to at least try to sleep. You'll run yourself ragged imagining every single worse case scenario," I sat up in bed, ignoring the fact that I too was failing miserably at trying to give into my exhaustion. Bellamy sat on the corner, muscles tense; even over here I could hear his brain whirring with ideas. I scooted over until my legs rested on either side of him and began a back massage. He grunted while I worked on a particularly tough knot on his lower back, "Please Bell, at least talk to me."

"You know how she is Clarke, no regard for her own safety," I half smiled and planted a soft kiss between his shoulder blades.

"Remind you of someone?" Another grunt, this time in slight annoyance, "Yes Bellamy Blake, you ended up raising our daughter in your own image, and that never seemed like a bad thing to you until now."

"I just . . . what happens when something goes wrong and she makes herself an option?"

"Like you did with Murphy?"

"Don't even bring that up in a moment like this Princess, there is no comparison. That was man to man, this is my little girl against a war," I moved to another knot on his back when the other finally released.

"Remember how I felt when she came home with the first five marks on her shoulder after that border skirmish when she was on patrol with Darren and his group?" He nodded his head, "I was so mad I nearly slapped her and you had to make me walk away," His chest shook a little at that as he contained his chuckle, not mentioning just how many times he'd had to turn me around and make me get a hold of my head when it came to our wild child, "I hated them back then, but now, I can't imagine seeing her without each and every one. This is the world we chose to bring our babies into, the one that is their one and only reality and home. Angel is willing to defend that. No, I don't want her making the ultimate sacrifice, but I came to terms with that fear the day she picked up her first knife and began throwing lessons. Don't deny that fire in her eyes, Bell."

"Never thought there'd be a day I'd hear _you_ say that Princess," This time he did release a low chuckle. I smiled as I scooted back to the middle of the bed, his back finally free of knots and kinks.

"I've been known to have my moments," I teased. He suddenly lunged at me, pinning me down with his body, and sporting a full smirk. Was it true that men's desires were always burning near the surface? Regardless of the circumstances? Yes, that was the absolute truth in my experience.

"Mm, lots and lots of moments," I tangled my fingers in his hair to bring his mouth to mine, but instead he jerked it to the side to plant open mouthed kisses on my jaw. He worked his way over to my ear before sucking on the lobe and then releasing it with a wet pop. His lips ventured downward, finding my pulse point and giving it attention. He ground his hips into mine deliciously and I covered my mouth to hide my moan, knowing the walls carried sounds to both the twins' and Jake's bedroom. He continued the grinding torture as his mouth was heading south down my sternum and his hands were creeping up my spine under my shirt when a loud, exaggerated coughing fit overtook someone in the next room.

"Jake and I are going to go sit at the campfire with Angel and Darren since you _clearly_ don't want kids in the house!" Lily called and I heard two sets of feet leave through the front door.

"She really needs to stop spending so much time with Ange," Bellamy grumbled into my neck. I giggled as I stroked my fingers through his soft hair.

"Remember when we'd just send them over to Lincoln and Octavia's for the night so they could have a sleepover while mommy and daddy did important leader work?"

"Remember when they ended up meeting Amia and Xavier in the middle?" We both laughed as all the children returned to our home with confused expressions, not sure which parents were supposed to be watching them that night. Our laughter faded as Bellamy lifted his head to look at me.

"We're laughing and sharing memories like an old married couple," The tone in his voice made my heart pick up.

"Less with the old, mister," I teased as he lowered his lips to gently capture my own. We took our time with each one pull of lips, knowing that is was unlikely to be interrupted by anyone at the moment. Bellamy softly ran his tongue along my bottom lip and I opened my mouth where we conducted a slow, sensual dance. Eventually we moved on to other things, reconnecting the pieces that held us together.

**AN: I know this one's shorter, but I wanted to get this out before the weekend. It was really interesting writing from Nadia's perspective as she pulled from her memories of her husband and had to balance being a mother to her son while being a leader to her people. Definitely got some sweet Bellarke in this chapter as well. Thank you for all the kind reviews and please continue on submitting them! I usually don't choose the POVs until I start writing the chapter, but feel free to recommend who you'd like to see in the next one. **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Darren's POV

"Want to talk about it?"

"Honestly Dare, it's bothering you more than it's bothering me," Yep, that was my girl, not worried about the impending war or the leader that wanted to claim her as his own. No reason to lose sleep, pace, or have an anxiety attack over. Angel's brusque behavior was most definitely not intended for the faint hearted.

"And why is that? Anyone would understandably be a little shaken up over this, yet here we are waltzing through camp like there aren't warriors fifty miles away readying to kill," She shot me a dry look over her shoulder, not at all amused by my rant, "Stop being so . . . _calm_ about this."

"I'm just letting you freak out for me. Come on, the scouts are with your mom," Ange entwined her fingers with mine and tugged us toward the common room where the two groups from yesterday were preparing to convene. We took a seat at a table at the end of the row formed by Clarke's and Bellamy's council and we were quickly joined by Lily.

"The camp is starting to get restless. Everyone is sensing that something is going on,"

"Chill Lil', mom and dad are keeping it quiet until we have more information. Nothing starts at panic like not being able to answer questions," Angel whispered back to her sister as my mother came in with her generals, scouts, and a few extra warriors. Ange's elbow pressed in to my side and she nodded toward Uriah who was part of the group and had made obvious eye contact with Lily. I raised an eyebrow at my girl and she smirked.

"One of my scouts died last night at the hands of the enemy, but these two have returned," I felt Laurence's eyes boring into my forehead as we all bowed our heads in a brief moment of silence. He was my mother's favorite general and my own personal devil's advocate to anything I spoke about.

"We are sorry for you loss, but this information is of the greatest importance," Bellamy said gravely. One of the scouts stood up stiffly and moved to the middle ground between the two groups.

"We have estimated that there are around two hundred warriors, not including the women they have serving them in the camp. The leader's name is Kane. They have about seventy five horses and the battle axe seems to be a favorite. We could not get close enough to hear any news of possible plans to attack," The scout finished and immediately took his seat again.

"Who names their kid, Kane?" Angel whispered directly in my ear so as not to interrupt her father who was saying something to my mom about another scouting mission. I rolled my eyes and pressed my lips to her ear to respond.

"It's a name only a mother could love," She grinned and pecked a kiss on my cheek before returning her attention to the leaders. I locked eyes with Laurence and the animosity pouring off of him was tangible. I narrowed my gaze and he sneered before looking away.

"We have border defenses and two battle plans, there's nothing more we can do for now but train," Mom bit out.

"So we're supposed to sit around a twiddle our thumbs while they know exactly when and how they want to go about the attack. We need more information," Bellamy growled back, "Send scouts."

"I've already lost five men. I'm not eager to send anymore!" The anger in her voice leaked out, "Since you insist, send your own people."

"I can go," Angel volunteered, causing everyone's eyes to shoot to her.

"No," Bellamy and Clarke snapped at the same time and I released a breath.

"But daddy—"

"This isn't negotiable Angel. I don't want you anywhere near them, especially when you're the leader's prize. Don't even bring it up again," Bellamy looked her dead in the eye and Ange's back stiffened slightly and her shoulders tensed. I'd never seen Angel fight with her dad and right now was not a good time for it.

"Just send Gregory and Kendrick back, obviously they know how to avoid detection. If they return without any information, then we'll start trying to figure out other ways to get their plans," My mother shot me a glare, but obviously agreed the idea was sound.

"I'll send them back over the border in the evening. This meeting is over," She rose with her posse and left. Normally I would've felt that distant pull to go with them, but not this time. I needed Angel where I could see her. She was too headstrong to stay away from danger, but at least if I was here, she'd never face it alone. Once they were gone, Angel also rose.

"Angel," Her mom chided, obviously trying to calm her down.

"You should tell everyone about this. I'm going to go curl up under the covers of my bed and hide until this whole thing is all over," She called over her shoulder sarcastically as I followed her out. By the clenched fists at her side, I knew better than to speak. She needed time. Yes, my girl was invincible in her own right, but danger didn't care. Angel had never been told 'no' from what I could remember and it showed right now. Her self-confidence had always been a precious thing, but now the consequence was that she didn't know how to grapple with the denial when she knew she was one of the best at scouting.

"So you're all just going to go to war and I'm going to have to stay here like a helpless child?" She demanded when we reached the river that was near the camp. She flopped down on a rock, fuming, but didn't say anything besides that. I slowly sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. It took a few deep breaths, but the tension finally released, and I knew she was ready to be reasonable. She wrapped her arms around me and pressed her face into my chest. I allowed my hand to rub up and down her back as I placed a kiss on her head.

"Like anyone could ever manage to hold you here while we went to battle. You'll still be in the fight Angel; we just need to know how. I don't think we can actually afford to lose you as a warrior, but Ange, and you listen to me good, you can't take unnecessary risks until that day comes. I can't lose you," She straightened to look at me before moving to curl up in my lap, placing her head under my chin, and I wrapped my arms around her tightly.

"I don't want to lose you either," She whispered in a small voice, "This is my safe place, whenever you hold me, and I don't want anything taking you away. Yeah, you've never let anything hurt me, but I've never let anything hurt you either. It's terrifying whenever I think of you going into battle without me, because no one watches your back like I do."

"We'll figure this out," I promised. She nodded in agreement. We continued to sit there in silence and I knew to be grateful for this. She was safe for a small while, wrapped up right where I needed her to be, and I hated the thought of going back to reality. Moments like these came to me in all sorts of ways later, at night when I was forced to be away from Angel, in battle when I needed the inner strength to continue, and when I had to stand my ground against my mother and her ways, "I love you."

"I love you too," She replied back softly, not at all like her usual voice. I pulled away a little and tipped her chin up before kissing her. She moved without breaking the kiss until her hips straddled mine and her arms were wrapped around my neck like mine were wrapped around her waist. We needed this. I nipped her bottom lip before soothing it with my tongue and her mouth opened. If this is what it took to keep the outside world at bay, I would gladly do it for a lifetime.

Lily's POV

The camp took the news surprisingly well and I noticed some of the men seemed eager for a fight. When the audience dispersed to go about their daily chores, I scanned the crowd for Angel once again, but didn't spot my sister anywhere. I turned around to head back to the med bay before running into a rock hard warm body.

"I am so sorry," I squeaked as I stumbled back to look up into bright greenish blue eyes. Uriah glanced shyly at the ground, black hair staying straight in the close cut he kept it in, before glancing back up to meet my gaze.

"No, it was my fault," I'd expected a rough, weathered voice from a warrior such as himself, but instead it was warm and gentle, low, but almost sounded like a caress.

"I'm Lily," I offered my hand and then immediately worried that their people didn't do handshakes. Before I could regret the action, his huge, callused hand gripped mine gently, but still gave it a firm shake, "Uriah, you're Angel's sister."

"Twin sister," I shrugged a little, not even knowing why I felt like that little piece of information was even vital besides giving him an idea of my age.

"Yeah, I know. Darren talks about her all the time, sometimes you come up too," Because you asked or because he threw in an embarrassing story of mine? I refrained from knowing the answer.

"How do you like Nadia's tribe?"

"It's great, a lot better than the one I came from," I looked up at him, trying to read the emotionless eyes that guarded his past, but decided not to push.

"Angel has spoken very highly about you," I redirected the conversation. Again that cute little half smile quirked his lips as he nodded.

"That's a relief since she still kicked my ass in hand to hand a couple of days ago. For such a protective boyfriend, she sure does know how to fight. If I didn't know better, I'd say I should be a little scared of her," I laughed at his sheepishness.

"Yeah, she's definitely scary out there. But once you see her play with Jake, well it's like my sister is home again. No scars and blood free, but I'd never want her to be any other way. Angel's what everyone wants," ," I almost gasped in horror, not meaning to verbalize the thoughts that had been floating around more or less the last year, and to a guy I'd developed a crush on. Uriah regarded me quietly though, head slightly tipped to the side as if he was evaluating how to move forward.

"You are a healer, right? You are just as vital as your sister. Yes, she is a famed warrior, but you're the kind of person people turn to when they need to save lives. That's precious in its own right," My mouth opened to reply, but I was cut off by a panicked looking Jake who was suddenly wrapped around my waist.

"Where's Angel? Xavier says a bad man wants to take her. Where's Angel, Lily?" He cried. Uriah crouched down until he was eye level with my little brother as Jake stared at him warily.

"Knowing your sister, she's not far away from her family. Here, I'll help you find her," Jake didn't budge though.

"How?"

"I know how to track," That piqued his interest and he dropped his arms, but placed his little hand within my own.

"Okay, find her," I grinned even if he didn't see because he sounded exactly like daddy and Angel when he got bossy. We walked around for a few minutes until Uriah pointed to the ground.

"I bet those are their boot prints," He declared.

"Wow, how could you have ever guessed?" Angel joked as she and Darren entered back through one of the doors of the wall.

"Angel!" Jake gasped as she picked our brother up and cradled him close.

"What's the matter?" She asked as he buried his head into her neck.

"There's a bad man who wants to take you away!" He sniffled. She pressed her cheek to his head as she stroked his hair with her free hand.

"Then we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen, right?" She asked him and he nodded.

"Angel! Lily!" Mom called from just before the garden. Uriah and Darren followed as we made our way back to her, "We need to collect more seaweed. Your father agreed you should come for protection Angel."

"We can come too," Darren instantly replied. Mom looked like she was about to agree when a knarled voice spoke from our right.

"No, you will be coming back home to discuss battle training with your mother," I didn't recognize the man, but Darren clearly bristled in his presence.

"I'm not leaving—"

"Dare, I'll be fine. It's a routine trip to the lake; shouldn't take more than a couple of hours for a round trip," He frowned down at her; obviously warring with himself, but his responsibilities seemed to win out.

"Be safe," He murmured before kissing her temple and leaving with Uriah. He glanced over his shoulder to shoot me that half smile before they all headed away.

"Why don't you go see if Kyla wants to play, Jake?" Angel asked him and he reluctantly climbed down before suddenly hugging her tight.

"Promise you'll come back?"

"Promise," With that reassurance he walked away to go search out his playmate.

"Let me grab my weapons and we'll go," She told mom who nodded before heading back in the direction of the med bay. I was about to go with her before Angel's arm looped with mine like when we were little.

"So what happened between you and Uriah while I was gone?"

"Where were you anyway?"

"Down by the river, don't change the subject,"

"We just introduced ourselves and kind of talked. He's really sweet," I tried to not get too girly, but by the look she gave me, I wasn't hiding my feelings well.

"Hopefully he has his demons under control before you guys really get into it," She said distractedly, eyebrows pulled together in concentration. She released me as she reached for her double bladed sword which had a harness that strapped over her chest while the holster was on the back. She also slipped on the leg harness for her dirk that she kept on the left. While she set her foot on her bed to strap that on, her shirt rode up so that the blade she always kept at the small of her back peeked out. I was glad my sister was so well armed, but it didn't make the reason why any better.

***Roughly 45 Minutes Later***

"This is a lot of seaweed," I said aloud as I towed another basket of it back to shore. We had three so far and mom, grandma, and I each still needed to top off the other three we were working on. Angel stood on the rocky shore, eyes trained into the forest, though it was so dense I wondered if she could really see passed a hundred feet or so. I strode out a little farther and started to pull more seaweed.

"Careful, Lily," Mom warned like usual, though it was obvious I could still touch. I rolled my eyes as I went about filling my basket. It took another fifteen minutes before we all seemed to have gotten as much as we could. When we all turned to start wading back to the rocks, I noticed Angel was completely tense.

"Stop," I whispered to mom and grandma who did as I said, but gave me questioning looks. I'd always known how to read my sister, her body language really did speak to me, especially in a moment like this, "Angel?"

"Stay in the water," She said just loud enough to be heard, but didn't turn. Mom and grandma shared worried glances as we waited. Then I saw them, slowly emerging from the distance, weapons drawn, clearly stalking toward us. When they were only twenty feet away, I could tell their eyes were transfixed on Angel. She didn't say anything, only seemed to coil that much more as they got closer. I counted a total of seven.

**AN: The next part is a killing scene. Not graphic. Just letting you all know. **

Two charged and my heart leapt in my throat. Angel grabbed her sword and spun under the first one's arm to drive one blade in the other's gut before wrenching it free. He spun around to only be met with a slit throat as blood spraying across her face. I saw three more of them waver, but decide to go at her anyway. The first tried to land a hard blow, but she blocked it effortlessly as she tripped one who had thought her distracted. She stabbed downward into his chest before swiping through an attacker's upper thigh, severing the femoral artery. The third tried to swipe at her shoulder with his blade, but quick footwork maneuvered Angel behind him and she stabbed a blade through his back. Of the last two, only one charged her, the other tried to run. She grabbed the knife from her back and through it where it buried itself with deadly force before killing the last one with a swift drive of her sword.

**AN: End of the Attack. **

I stared at my sister, the skin on her arms and face was speckled in blood. She was facing sideways, not looking at us or at the dead bodies. Slowly, she holstered her double bladed sword on to her back, but still did not search out our gazes.

"It's safe now," Was all she said. Mom and grandma remained frozen in the water, but I waded forward, settling my basket next to the other three, before making my way to my sister. She looked down at me, eyes hard, but not cold. Blood didn't bother me, so I slowly worked my hands up both sides of her right arm, then her left. I checked her neck and found her pulse that beat to a normal, calm rhythm. I quickly looked over the rest of her body, but it was obvious that she was unscathed. I allowed my hands to drop back to my sides, satisfied that she was unharmed.

"I never wanted you to have to see something like this," She whispered as we gazed evenly at one another. I actually felt like smiling because it was just like Angel to worry about everyone except herself. The need to protect overrode the voice inside that didn't believe in apologizing for what had happened.

"You saved us," I simply said. She shrugged and before I could worry about it, I reached forward and hugged her tight. She responded to my embrace before the sloshing of water had us pulling apart to see mom and grandma make it to shore. They put down their baskets and slowly approached us.

"You're okay?" Mom asked, more like a statement than a question though. Angel nodded at our mother as we all stood.

"Thank God you were so stubborn about learning to fight," Mom barked out a laugh before pulling Angel down into a smothering hug. My sister shrugged again before mom let her go. Grandma also gave her a hug before her and mom went to each grab two baskets. I smiled over at Angel as I grabbed my own baskets and we started heading back home.

"What is it?" She finally questioned about fifteen minutes in when the smile had finally reserved itself to a small curve of my lips that still included multiple glances at my twin every minute.

"You're usually so touchy about me making sure you're okay,"

"Well it makes you feel better. I knew you needed that,"

**AN: I know this chapter took a lot longer to get out. I don't know why I had such a hard time with it. I guess it's because I know what I want to write for the next chapter and couldn't stop thinking about that. Anyway, made it extra long to make up for the late update. I always appreciate the reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thank you so much for all the awesome reviews! It makes writing this story really fun! **

Chapter 6

Bellamy's POV

"Attacked?!"

"Daddy, calm down. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle obviously," Angel placated as she scrubbed off the blood from a basin of clean water Abby brought into the med bay. I shot a look at Clarke for support, but she only shrugged. Where was my "mama bear" wife when I needed her?

"They shouldn't have made it passed the border in the first place!" I reminded angrily. Angel toweled off her arms and face before taking a seat next to Lily on one of the empty tables.

"The border is dangerous, but it's not impossible to make it over without harm," Lincoln pointed out unhelpfully as he and Octavia entered with Finn, Raven, Monte, Jasper, Miller, and Marcus. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. Partly because Angel was still refusing to acknowledge the danger to herself like usual, especially with Kane out there.

"They shouldn't have made it so deep or known where you'd all would be,"

"The lake is a water source. Any group who had to outmaneuver fatal traps for a mile would be exhausted and thirsty. The east river goes passed ours and Nadia's lands, which means is they hugged to it for direction inward, they'd come across the lake and us," Angel explained, beginning to clean her bloodied weapons. Looking at my daughters sitting side by side in contentment, at least I knew they were safe and at home. That was a small comfort I needed to take in for a moment. Clarke's hand grasped mine and I finally allowed some of the tension to release.

"Let's move on to the main concern, Kane and his army," Marcus said and that brought silence to everyone.

"He's wiped out entire villages," Lincoln muttered darkly. I gave a pointed look at Angel, but she only smirked at me in response before spinning her sword around to clean the other blade thoroughly.

"That doesn't make him indestructible," Raven responded.

"But it does mean he's smart. If he's amassed this many men, then he's one of two options. First, he leads by example and will charge with them into battle to prove his prowess. Second, he hangs back away from the fighting and allows his soldiers to do the heavy lifting before claiming the prize. But as long as they get their share of resources and women, why would they care as long as his war strategies work?" There was my little war general at a moment's notice and I couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride well up.

"So what are you saying? We need to figure out how to outsmart him even though we have no idea what his plans are?" Finn asked in irritation. I narrowed my eyes at the tone he was taking with my daughter. Yes, we'd gotten over the worst of our differences while freeing the 100 from the Mountain Men, but that didn't mean I had to like the guy.

"No, we need one of his men for information," Angel replied patiently, still too immersed in cleaning her precious blades to care about the treatment she'd received.

"Maybe you should've thought of that before killing them all," Raven muttered under breath.

"Don't you dare say that. Angel did what she had to do to protect us all. Keeping one alive wasn't exactly the top priority," Abby snapped at her.

"We're just going to keep running around in circles until we have more information," Clarke said loudly from beside me.

"Girls, why don't you get your brother from Amia and Xavier and put him to bed, I'm sure he's tired after such a long day," Angel's eyes me speculatively, "We won't be making any plans without you, I promise."

"Alright, good night dad. Good night mom," Lily gave us each a hug.

"My daddy," Angel murmured when she stepped in for a tight embrace. I almost got choked up.

"Always yours," She gave me a big smile before giving Clarke a good night hug and kiss and left with Lily. Once they were gone, I looked at Miller.

"What's the camp chatter been like?"

"The single men like Henry and Derek are eager for the war. They thought that survival was getting a little too easy, like life needed to be spiced up a bit. As much as I hated those ideas, at least we're assured that they're ready and supportive of the fighting. Basically anyone with a wife and or kids is a little more reluctant, but they recognize that we have to protect our lands and people," He debriefed.

"Good, you got all the seaweed you wanted?" I asked Clarke.

"Yes, we'll have to keep most of it in water. The rest we'll turn into paste. Most of the medicinal herbs we need are in the garden, the few that aren't are near home," Abby nodded with her.

"We'll work on that tomorrow. Anything else we feel like going over tonight?" Various no's and grunts met my ears, so ending the meeting. I wrapped an arm around Clarke's shoulders as we slowly made our way out of the drop ship.

"Why didn't you back me up when Angel was playing selfless hero earlier?" My voice was casual.

"Bellamy, I've hated the idea of our daughter being in battles for as long as I can remember. But seeing her like that, in her element, I realized that it was where she wanted to be. I expected to see this wild light in her eyes, but it was the complete opposite. She was calm and collected and focused. It was like that reckless child was channeled into someone full of wisdom and certainty. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she knew how to win, not a single one. Just that alone made me feel safe and I knew she'd never let a single one passed her, not in a million years. I feel like I learned all about this other side of my daughter in less than five minutes," The look of wonder on my wife's face was enough to make me grin, because I'd watched that side grow and become what it was over the last decade. I was happy to see Clarke relate to Angel on her level.

"Okay, so no more good cop bad cop when she gets in trouble?" I teased and she laughed. We walked into a silent house and quietly opened the door to Angel and Lily's room. They'd created a massive pallet of pillows and blankets on the floor between their beds with Jake between the two of them. Angel was on her side and the top of his head was pressed against her throat and then his legs were propped up on Lily's lower back while she slept on her stomach. I shut the door as we crept to our room and I noticed Clarke quickly wipe away a tear.

"What is it?" I whispered as we changed into bed clothes and crawled under the covers.

"I guess Angel and Lily never had to worry about being only children, but I always worried that the age difference with Jake would make it hard for them to connect as he got older, yet here they are," Her voice caught by the end, but she buried her head against my chest to hide it. I gently stroked her hair between my fingertips, glad to fall asleep with the image of safe babies in my mind.

Jake's POV

I opened my eyes and rolled over, seeing the window was on the wrong wall, before remembering I'd fallen asleep on the floor with Angel and Lily last night. They'd made a "nest" when I couldn't sleep, so we could all be together. I sat up to see I was in Angel's bed and the blankets had been put back on both her and Lily's bed and probably mine. I rolled out lazily and went to my room to put on a change of clothes and then walking outside.

Lily walked by with Amia, herbs in her basket, so it was obvious she wasn't going to get to play today. I grabbed a handful of berries from one of the baskets even if mommy told me I shouldn't. She was in the med bay with Grandma Abby as I walked by. I went over to where I saw daddy, but he was busy talking to Uncle Miller and Uncle Lincoln to see me. I still hadn't seen Angel, but she might've gone to Darren's village today. I decided to go find Kyla when I noticed a frog hopping.

"Hi Mr. Frog," I greeted, squatting down just like a frog. Angel and I played leap frog sometimes, but she said frogs didn't really play that. It looked over at me with its bulgy eyes and gave a croak before hopping away.

"Ribbit, ribbit," I copied, following behind it. I hopped after every time it did, until it went through a hole in the wall behind one of the bushes. I stopped, remembering mommy telling me I wasn't allowed to go outside the wall by myself. I could hear the frog croak from the other side. I just wouldn't go far and come back before she knew I was gone.

"Ribbit," I stepped through the hole and then crouched again to continue hopping. I liked copying the frog because he was playing with me. We hopped over logs and on ferns and through the mud. I wondered if mommy would let me keep him.

"Come here, I want to take you home," I went to grab him, but he started hopping really fast, so I chased after him. It was hard to try to lean down and grab the frog and run at the same time. I finally dove, but it slipped through my hands. My lips wobbled when I saw my scraped up elbows and my knees that were bleeding. I wanted to go home.

"Well what do we have here?" A voice asked from behind me. I was about to look to see who it was when someone grabbed me up by my arm and held me off the ground.

"Let go!" I yelled because it hurt.

"Aw, isn't he cute? Probably a kid from that camp of fallen ones,"

"Fallen Ones? Let me go! That hurts!" I cried, tears streaming down my face. The person holding me turned around so I could see the man who had spoken the first time. His skin was all dirty and his eyes were dark. He had armor, but I didn't recognize him from Darren's tribe.

"We could probably sell him for a decent price," He grinned evilly and more tears fell. His mouth opened to continue when a familiar voice broke in.

"PUT HIM DOWN, NOW!" Angel was mad, I'd only heard her mad voice one other time, but that was definitely it.

"Angel!" I cheered. The other stranger put me down and spun me around and then wrapped his hand around my throat. Angel was only about twenty feet away, but she stopped when she saw what the man was doing to me. I glanced around to see more men come in from all directions.

"So you're the infamous Angel, pleasure to make your acquaintance," The evil man laughed, "I'm Orson, Kane's second in command."

"I don't give a damn, let him go," She growled, but she didn't reach for her sword like I expected.

"This little one? What do we get for letting him go?" He asked and I felt cold metal against my cheek. Angel didn't even wait to reply.

"Me, no fight, I'll give up my weapons. Just please let him go home safely," Her voice was quiet, she wasn't mad anymore.

"There's fifteen of us and only one of you. Why should I meet your demands?"

"Because I have seven fresh marks on my back from yesterday, fifteen is no problem in the slightest. But by all means, piss off Kane's new girl, it won't matter to me either way," The man watched her before nodding and the other one let me go. I rushed to Angel and she crouched, hands on either side of my head.

"Are you hurt?"

"No," I cried. I went to hug her, but she held me away. Then she reached for her the buckle to the harness for her sword and undid it before handing it to me, her eyes very wide and serious.

"Tell Darren I want this polished by the time I get back," She whispered before slipping it over my shoulder. My lip wobbled even more as fresh tears came.

"Aren't you coming with me? Come home," She once again held my face between her hands. She was completely calm.

"I need you to be brave for me, Jake. I need you to run all the way home without looking back. Can you do that for me little man?"

"N-no,"

"I love you Jake,"

"No more talking!" The man yelled.

"Run," She murmured and gently pushed me back towards home. The men let me pass between them as they came closer to my sister. I tried not to, but I glanced over my shoulder as I ran, and saw Angel watching me with a smile on her face even as the men got closer to her. I turned my head back around and ran harder, even though I was already tired.

I told her I'd run all the way home. I had to run all the way home. I couldn't stop. I had to get there. She told me to run. I'm running. I'm doing what I was told. I shouldn't have gone outside the wall. I'm running home. I'm doing what you told me to do Angel. I promise I'll do what I'm supposed to this time.

Darren's POV

"_She told me to tell you she wants it polished by the time she gets back," Jake sobbed as tears seemed to run without end down his cheeks. He handed me Angel's weapon and then Clarke cradled him back into her. I stared down at the thing. Lily and Uriah both gave me a peculiar look at the request, but I knew. I'd always know._

_**We sat in the middle of sunbathed valley with wild flowers growing all around and grass underneath us. I was lying on my back as Angel sat about a foot away, polishing the blade for the first time since I'd given it to her. It could've been a small child the way she treated it with such care and reverence at the moment, even though it would taste steel tomorrow during training in mighty blows and hard blocks just like it always did. Angel's hair was swept over her left shoulder as she worked, a stark black backdrop against the purple, pink, and yellow flowers. Her face was peaceful, completely at ease. Her lips did that little pull once in a while, like they were thinking about smiling, but didn't quite know how while she was concentrating so hard on every smooth movement. **_

"_**You're gorgeous," I murmured, sitting up to lean back on my hands. She giggled as she continued her work without looking up. **_

"_**I know Dare, you tell me almost everyday,"**_

"_**And what do I tell you on the days I apparently don't tell you you're gorgeous since you said almost everyday?" I teased, scooting closer. **_

"_**That I'm beautiful," She grinned. She took the compliments in stride, never doubting herself, something I was glad she possessed. I gentle grasped the handle between the two blades and set on the other side of her on the ground. She laughed as I quickly maneuvered her to the ground so her back was pressed against soft earth. The laughter faded from her eyes when she caught my expression, something I was hoping was mixed with warmth and happiness. **_

"_**Angel, I love you," A face splitting smile immediately appeared. We'd only been together a few weeks and it was the first time I'd said it, though I hoped it always shown in my actions. I felt nervous to see if she'd say it back, but the look in her eyes already spoke to me. **_

"_**I love you too," She gently slipped her fingers in my hair as I lowered my mouth down to hers. **_

I finished polishing the two blades and gently set the weapon away as I lay down on a bed in one of the spare huts. I reached for her favorite blanket and inhaled on her scent before trying to pretend sleep was an option.

**AN: So the next chapter won't be very action packed and more focused on how people react to Angel's capture and the developing relationships. I thought about putting Darren's piece in the next one, but it felt right to have it at the end of this chapter. Let me know what you thought please!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Clarke's POV

"It's my fault mommy," Jake said hollowly as I helped him into his loose sleeping shirt. His big brown eyes were wide and sad. It almost brought me to tears. I gently stroked his cheeks with my thumbs.

"Oh sweetie, it's not your fault. Those men got way too close to home and Angel wanted to keep you safe. She did what she does best my little one. Even if you hadn't left camp, they would've made it here, and things might've been exactly the same. Don't blame yourself; Angel wouldn't want it that way. I'm sure we'll see her soon," I kissed his forehead and finally it seemed the guilt left his eyes.

"I miss her mommy,"

"Me too baby boy, me too," I picked him up and took him to our bedroom. Bellamy had left with Darren to go to Nadia's camp earlier to discuss options on how to get our daughter back and would probably be gone all night. I lay down on my side and held Jake close, resting my cheek against his hair. Every normal creak of the house seemed amplified, as did the sounds of leaves rustling outside. I recognized the feeling from when Angel was with Darren as they went to battle multiple times with Julian, though no one had actually called it a war. It was the feeling of my baby not being safe in the house, not knowing exactly where she was or how she was doing. Yet this time it was so much worse, because this time it was dead serious.

I jumped a little when the door opened just as Lily slipped in. She crept around the bed and got under the covers. Her eyes met mine as she scooted closer so that there wasn't much space between us. Even in the dim light from the moon, I saw the shiny tear that slid down her cheek. I reached out and brushed it away, but left my hand there on her cheek.

"I can't sleep, mama," She murmured. My heart broke for both my children because it was a pain I had no control over. There was no sugar coating this. The fact was, my eldest was not in her bed tonight, but over enemy lines as a prisoner. I put on a brave face anyway, remembering all those times I did it for the 100 in those budding months after landing on the ground. I wasn't allowed to appear weak then, and I couldn't do it now.

"You know how stubborn your sister is. I don't think that Kane guy has any idea what he's getting himself into with taking her. Either she'll escape or he'll give her back because she's too much of pain for him. We'll see her again, sword and smile and all," I reassured. A quick flash of white teeth told me Lily had smiled. I took my hand from her cheek as she closed her eyes. I could hear the way she was forcing each deep, even breath, but eventually I knew she had fallen asleep.

"Good night my little loves," I whispered as I closed my eyes, though sleep was most likely to skip over me. A little part of my mind was holding out a candle for Angel to come home tonight and this whole thing to be over.

Lily's POV

I was exhausted. My night was full of tossing and turning and nightmares. I never realized how much comfort Angel's presence in the bed across from mine brought to me even in the dead of night. When we were little, I believed she could face anything and anyone and come out on top. Upon reflection, that still held true. She's never lost at anything that I could remember; hopefully she'd carried her luck with her to that wretched army and their leader.

"Lily!" I spun to see Uriah jog up to me, "How are you doing?"

"I'm . . . I don't even know right now. Upset, angry, enraged, horrified that this happened? Nothing seems adequate," I shrugged, but at least it was the first time I'd been honest with someone about my feelings. Everyone who asked, I'd respond with, "I'm managing." It felt so good to tell the truth right now.

"I don't have to tell you that your sister is going to be fine. She's one of the best warriors I know, whether we go get her, she comes home, or we meet in the middle; Angel will make it back," I smiled up at him, my first real smile since Jake had burst into camp out of breath and in tears yesterday.

"Thanks Uriah," I said softly and he half smiled.

"Can I get those for you?" He asked, gesturing to the water buckets I was carrying. I didn't get a chance to say yes or no as he grabbed them from me, not seeming bothered by their weight at all.

"I thought you would've left with my dad and Darren last night," I rebooted the conversation as we walked back towards the med bay.

"No, I offered to stay for protection last night. Those warriors were within a mile of the camp. I didn't want to be busy worrying while at Nadia's main village," I felt a slight thrill in the pit of my stomach. He was worried, about the whole community or just me? I almost allowed the question to pop out, but gained control of my mind and tongue before it could.

"That's good. I wouldn't know what to do if someone came at me," Uriah stopped dead in his tracks.

"You don't know how to defend yourself?"

"I know some of the simple hand to hand combat moves Angel has taught me just in case, but nothing more advanced or with a weapon. I'm not very good at it like she is," I explained, puzzled by the look in his eyes. It was a mix between sheer disbelief and anger and something else I couldn't name.

"Regardless, you at least need to know how to use a dirk in self defense. It's a long knife like the one Angel keeps on her thigh,"

"I know what a dirk is, thank you very much," I didn't mean to snap, but I did. Uriah's expression slipped into one of mild amusement as he looked down on me.

"Then you'll learn how to use one," He replied simply before beginning to walk again. It took me a moment to react to his words as I mindlessly kept pace with his long strides.

"I told you I'm not good at that kind of stuff,"

"It sounds like you never even tried. It's not hard and it'll give everyone some peace of mind knowing one of their healers can protect herself," He set the water buckets in the med bay, but Grandma Abby and mom didn't see us as we exited.

"Who do you mean by everyone?"

"Me mostly," Another half smile and I was nearly melting. I bit my lip as I felt a blush slowly creep up my cheeks.

"When?"

"Now,"

"Just let me grab my bag," I mumbled as I hustled away and to the med bay. Mom and grandma were busy discussing herb collection, Jake playing with a ball across the room, "I'm going to the training field!" I called and quickly snatched up my medical bag and joined Uriah. The training valley wasn't far, but surprisingly, we took our time as we walked.

"So you've never told me what brought you to Nadia's people," I prodded casually. As much as I'd tried not to think about, Angel's comment about his demons kept poking at my imagination.

"My tribe was losing its war," I gave him a look since everyone knew that information. He let out a heavy sigh before continuing, "I only had my mother left by the time I was fifteen and had been in many battles in the war already. I'd only been seventeen a few days when one of the fights took place just outside my home village. It was getting ugly and my only thought was trying to get to my mother and somehow getting her out of there. I'd finally worked myself backward enough to make a sprint to her hut, but when I turned to run, I . . . I saw . . ." He took a deep breath to compose himself and I felt vaguely as if I was about to be sick, "Our leader grabbed her in front of him just as an arrow buried itself in the middle of her chest. She was dead before I even got to her. And he . . . he told me to get back in the battle while I was holding her dead body, after he used her as a human shield. The next day, I decided to be a coward and retreated from my people's war, and found Nadia's people who are famous for their peace."

"You're anything but a coward Uriah. You were brave enough to walk away from a cruel man. Please tell me you see that," The sorrow in his eyes was deep as he glanced at me just as we made it the training valley. He was about to reply when I noticed two guys crouched beside a boy on his back. I didn't even glance at Uriah as I ran toward the group.

"What's going on here?" I demanded as I got down beside the boy who was shaking violently. Mom's description of a seizure came to mind by his entire body shaking and his eyes had rolled to the back of his head. I quickly slipped off my jacket and tucked it carefully under the boy's head.

"Help me roll him to his side!" I commanded, finding Uriah at my side instantaneously. He helped me move the boy so he was on his side facing us.

"How long has this been going on?"

"About a minute?" I hated the fact that they made it sound like a question, but that also meant that he had time before serious damage.

"What's his name?" I asked.

"Peter," I counted one and a half minutes in my head when the poor boy's body finally stopped shaking. Uriah and I gently eased him on his back once more as his eyes came into focus.

"Hi Peter. I'm Lily. You just had a seizure, so I'm going to ask you to do a few things for me, okay?" He nodded, "Wiggle your toes . . . Good, now you're fingers . . . Perfect, and give me a few slow blinks."

"Am I going to be alright?" He croaked.

"I believe so, but we can't exactly diagnose what caused the seizure. I think it's best that you go to visit my mom and grandma at our community,"

"We can take him," Both boys helped their friend up so that his arms were draped over their shoulders, but between the two of them, he barely had to walk as they started toward the camp.

"I should go with them," I said, but Uriah's hand snaked out to grab my wrist gently before I could move away. When I looked up at him, his eyes were shining with admiration.

"You saved that kid,"

"Not really, there's not much you can do for a seizure except make sure the person doesn't do damage to themselves," I shrugged.

"But still . . . you look up to Angel thinking you're not good at anything like she is. Yet here you are, calm and assertive while helping people without a second thought. You're your own kind of warrior Lily," His words seemed to set off an inner glow within my heart because I felt a little smile start to curl my lips as I stepped closer. His hand moved so that his fingers interlocked with mine as we stood close.

"I guess I never looked at it that way,"

"That's because you take your own selflessness for granted," Selfless? I, Lily Hope Blake, was seen as selfless? I briefly glanced down at the ground in embarrassment, unaccustomed to the attention. With his free hand, Uriah gently tipped my chin up with his thumb and forefinger so I'd look at him.

"Thank you," I whispered and he half smiled. He leaned his head down and carefully pressed his lips to mine. I closed my eyes and took in the sensation. His hands slid down to rest on my waist and brought me closer so that we were pressed against each other. I brought my hands up to his chest and eventually he broke the kiss. My lids opened slowly as his forehead pressed against mine.

"I thought I was supposed to be learning how to use a dirk," That made both of us let out small laughs and one of his hands slid around to press against my back.

"We're getting to that. Have some patience," I giggled at his tone and nuzzled my face into his broad chest. For the first time since Angel was taken, I felt safe. I didn't know how long we stood there and I didn't care. It took awhile, but Uriah eased away until there were a couple of inches between us again, "I really do want you to know how to use a dirk."

"It wouldn't hurt," I replied and watched as he drew the knife that he kept in a holder behind his right hip.

"In your case, it's critical for you to learn how to use this offensively. It's not meant to block blows from swords and axes, but it's a lot quicker than those sorts of weapons, except maybe your sister and her double bladed sword, that spins way too fast. Anyway, here, I'll show you how to grip it for these next few moves," He adjusted my hand so the blade was going outward from my body, "Good; we'll make you into a battlefield healer yet."

Angel's POV

My whole head felt like a million pounds as I slowly came to. My neck was sore and tense, like I'd slept on it wrong three weeks in a row. I tried to move my hands to rub it, but they remained behind my back as cold metal bit into my skin. My legs were folded to the side and I could feel the shackles on my ankles as well. Very slowly, I opened my eyes to a dimly lit tent it seemed.

"Oh look at that, the Fallen Ones' princess has woken up," A nasty voice said from the corner of the tent.

"I'm not a princess, my mom is, everyone knows that," I grumbled out.

"My mistake, so you're the infamous Angel, who willingly gave herself up without a fight all to protect some meaningless child," The voice scoffed.

"Present," I bit out sarcastically as I opened my eyes wider and looked at the figure.

"I was looking forward to subduing you, but this is much easier," The man moved into the light that shown through the tent flap. He was tall with auburn hair and brown eyes, not very attractive at all, but I might be slightly biased toward my own man at home.

"I'm not staying long," I shrugged.

"There must be some confusion, because I'm keeping you forever," He squatted down so we were eyelevel.

"Don't you dare touch me," I warned as his hand started toward my jaw. I ducked my head away and sensed his smile, and then whipped it around, my spit landing right in his eye.

"Gah!" He yelled as he stumbled back, wiping at it. I'd barely blinked before feeling a harsh slap across my left cheek.

"I won't be so considerate the next time," He growled as he moved toward the table that was centered in the middle of the tent.

"I've taken worse," He seemed about ready to meet my challenge when Orson poked his head in.

"Sir, our . . ." He eyed me suspiciously, "Friend is here with more information to help us get over the border safely when we launch the attack."

"Give me a sec," He grabbed his knife, "We can't have my lovely girl here knowing who our helper is." A rat, there was a rat in either Nadia's tribe or my home. No wonder they were getting over the border and in so far, they'd had help.

"I'm not your girl," I snapped angrily.

"Oh but you will be when I kill Darren and all his warriors and then everyone from your village as well, but for now, take another nap," He brought the hilt down on my head and blackness overtook with no preamble.

**AN: So I really like this chapter and hope you all do to. It was nice to write about Lily being strong in her own way and thickening up the plot with a little betrayal from an unknown enemy. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I just want to make some points about my story that seem to be continuing to be brought up in reviews. **

**-Bellamy and Clarke are parents in this. Their priorities and mannerisms have changed in the last 18ish years from my perspective. Survival has turned into a stable community that they've focused on progressing while raising three children. I'm not saying they aren't bad*** anymore, but they have changed in general in my story. I am planning on bringing out their inner kick*** in later chapters, but for now they have to maintain that balance of leadership and duty to their children. **

**-Lily isn't supposed to be exactly like Clarke. I've tried to show it in detail through the chapters, but I guess I haven't, she's not meant to be some awesome bad***. Angel's own personality and experiences have influenced Lily into being a quiet person who really enjoys helping people, which is her own forte. She's a wonderful counterpart to her bad*** sister, but it just proves she's amazing and special in her own way, without being brave and bold like Angel. (A very big part of why Uriah was drawn to her in the first place.) **

**I just wanted to clear that up. I really do love and appreciate getting reviews and am thankful for all those readers who have favorite and/or followed my story. It means a lot. **

Chapter 8

Bellamy's POV

"_Daddy," A little five year old voice giggled from above me, but I kept my eyes closed. Hair started to brush my face back and forth and I really had to screw them shut, fighting down a smile as well. _

"_Daddy's sleeping," I mumbled when the long strands continued to tickle my face. Angel giggled in delight at getting a reaction. _

"_No you're not!" Lily replied from my right. I grinned as Angel continued the sway of her hair. Before she could react, I snagged her around the waist and flipped her over my shoulder as I sat up quickly, dropping her about an inch off the ground in between my legs on her back. A fit of laughter overtook her as I ticked her stomach relentlessly. _

"_Daddy! Daddy, no more!" She howled in between loud giggles. I finally let up and a few after shock giggles shook her as she struggled to breath, a huge smile on her face. I looked over at Clarke to see she was French braiding Lily's hair back into a ponytail. Angel allowed her hair to be brushed every morning and every night before bed, but refused to have it up like Lily preferred. We'd chosen a grassy spot next to the river for our picnic. _

"_Make me fly!" She whispered to me, eyes sparkling mischievously, because she was very aware of Clarke's hate at how high I threw her in the air. I smirked at her and stood up and Angel did the same. My wife was unsuspecting as I picked up our daughter, but her maternal instincts immediately caught scent of the game when I coiled for the throw. _

"_Bellamy Blake, don't your dare!" She warned, but it was too late as Ange squealed in joy at the height, and I effortlessly caught her when she came back down. _

"_Daddy always catches me," Angel reassured her mommy with that sparkling light in her eyes that never seemed to dim. I launched her in the air again, hearing Clarke's audible gasp, and once again collected our little one back in my arms. I did it one more time, knowing that my Princess really would have a fit if I continued terrifying her. _

_Angel pushed down and I set her back on the ground. She moved gracefully over to a patch of sunlight that shone through a gap in the trees. Then she stood completely still in it, eyes closed, face tipped up to the rays. My child not moving was an extremely rare occurrence. But this is where she always found her calm, soaking up the light. She was not meant to be inside, not meant to be contained. She'd done the same thing in the rain a couple of weeks ago. I remembered Octavia teasing me that all the babies would be born Grounders when we'd announced Clarke's pregnancy, but I'd shaken my head and simply replied, "Born to the Earth." _

"Bellamy," Lincoln said from next to me as we stood just outside Nadia's main village. The woman had enough balls to tell me there was nothing to be done at the moment. Angel was just going to have to "sit tight." I'd walked out of the hut before I said something I'd really regret, "Angel is your daughter. She'll be fine."

"I'm supposed to always catch her. The day she got in a fight just a little too big, I'd be there to make sure she never hit the ground and I let her down. She's over there going through god knows what and I'm just standing here doing nothing,"

"It's too dangerous to storm over the border. We have to wait for their first move. Kane at least has half of what he wants, he won't kill her. That'd defeat the purpose of coming here in the first place," I smirked at his voice of reason and logic.

"When have you ever known Angel to be cooperative?"

"Two days ago," That made my blood run cold, but Lincoln knew nothing except how to be completely blunt.

"Those were different circumstances. You don't think she'd try to negotiate Kane away from us?"

"Bellamy, there is only one thing, well, one person your daughter is completely selfish for, and that's Darren. Deep down, she'd never be able to get Kane to leave because of the love those two are bound by. But looking at it from a military view, it's an advantage. We know Kane will have to strike to kill Darren, which means we make him come to us to get at the one thing that would shatter Angel beyond repair and make her cooperative,"

"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine?" I growled.

"I didn't manage to change her mind," A voice spoke despondently from behind us. Lincoln and I turned to see an exhausted Darren leaning heavily against a tree, "She doesn't care."

"She's trying to protect her community as a whole, something a good leader actually does," Laurence remarked over his shoulder before disappearing inside a hut. I'd expected some sort of anger from Darren, but he didn't even so much as shrug off the words.

"I should've stayed back with her. She insisted on staying to make sure you were all well protected and I promised her I'd be back the next day. She's my top priority and I didn't keep her safe," He said hollowly.

"He sounds just like you," Lincoln muttered at me and I glared.

"We'll get her back, safe and sound," I reminded the boy, but he didn't respond as he walked away with the slowest of paces.

"If he's acting this way . . ."

"Imagine your daughter,"

Angel's POV

"Here, it's meat," Kane had speared a large hunk of venison on his knife and stuck it in my face, but I turned my nose up at it. I didn't trust it. I didn't trust any of this. One of Kane's wives hovered in the corner looking scared, but resigned. Seeing my revulsion toward everything he'd offered me so far tonight, I caught sight of her quickly exiting through the tent flap before he could notice.

"You have to eat," He growled, his other hand gripping my hair harshly as he tilted my face up, but I only pursed my lips that much more and met his challenging gaze with my defiant one. Realizing I wouldn't give in, he released my hair, only to reach behind me and give the chains that connected to the shackles of my hands a hard tug, causing the metal to dig deeper into my raw skin.

"Fine, we'll just wait until you're too fatigued to deny the food I so generously offer," Another slap and he went back to the table. I couldn't count how many times I'd been slapped over the last two days and nights. I'd seen him backhand his wives as well. Growing tired of my lack of companionship, he left the tent, and I was finally alone. A few minutes passed before the wife who had left earlier returned with what looked like scrambled eggs and a cup of water. Double checking that no one was around, she sat in front of me, and I spotted the fork she had grasped against the plate.

"My name is Mary and I was Kane's first wife, forced of course . . . I know you have no reason to trust me, but I did nothing to these eggs or the water. You need to keep your strength up," She gathered a fork full of egg and held it up. I slowly opened my mouth, not picking up on any unusual smells or tastes. It did taste rather good and I admitted to needing the protein, "Kane keeps the key to your shackles in a pair of pants. He has two pairs that he'll go to battle in. I can make sure he takes the pair without the key when he leaves to fight yours and Nadia's people. With that I can release you and you can liberate the women of this camp."

"No one holds allegiance to any soldiers here? Because I cannot guarantee the safety of the women who stand beside this monster and his men," She offered me another bite and I took it.

"Only a few, wives who actually went quite willingly, but they'll flee when your warriors come," Mary shrugged. I mulled over her idea while chewing another bite.

"Who is the traitor who's been giving Kane the information to safely cross the border?"

"I do not know his name, but he has brown hair and blue eyes, many scars, knows survival in the forest, and he's not afraid of being alone in the dark when he travels. There's something terrifying about that to me," I knew who she was talking about by the time I finished, but refrained from saying the name. I needed to keep this in my back pocket until I could find the right person to tell, preferably my daddy or Dare. I took the last bite of the eggs and washed it down with water.

"When does Kane attack?"

"Tomorrow night,"

"I agree to your plan and promise to send forces to free you and the other women when I reach my people," She smiled in relief and quickly scurried out the tent. I should've been wide awake, but instead I felt dead tired. I allowed my head to nod forward, knowing I shouldn't fall asleep, but too weak to win the battle against my heavy lids.

**AN: I know this was short and I apologize. It's just this really awkward transition that ended up being hard to write because it's between Angel's capture and the coming battle chapters. Cute Bellamy flashback? Let me know what you think! **


End file.
